Photographic elements having hydrophilic colloid layers containing compounds having activator precursors and hydrophobic developing agents uniformly loaded in latex polymer particles

Claim 1

A photographic element comprised of a support and, coated on the support, a hydrophilic colloid layer comprised of a hydrophilic colloid, and within the hydrophilic colloid, an activator precursor which is a compound of a protonated basic nitrogen-containing moiety and an acid anion, loaded polymer particles of from 0.02 to 0.2 micron in average diameter consisting essentially of a hydrophobic polymer of which at least 2 percent by weight is comprised of ionizable repeating units capable of forming hydrophilic homopolymers, at least half of said ionizable repeating units being cationically ionizable, and a hydrophobic developing agent loaded into and distributed through said particles, the weight ratio of said developing agent to said polymer being from about 1:4 to 3:1, in said hydrophilic colloid layer or in an adjacent hydrophilic colloid layer, radiation-sensitive silver halide grains, and said activator precursor being present in a concentration of from 1 to 4 equivalents for each mole of said radiation-sensitive silver halide, and wherein said ionizable repeating units of said hydrophobic polymer are cationically ionizable and are represented by the formula ##STR42## wherein, R and R 1 are independently chosen from among hydrogen, alkyl and aryl groups, L is a divalent linking group and Q + is a group of the formula ##STR43## where R 5 , R 6 and R 7 are independently chosen from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkaryl and aralkyl, and X - is an anion.